Share memories of growing up with the great music of the 50s, 60s and 70s. My background includes radio and television personality as well as V.P. A&R for A&M Records, where I signed Bryan Adams. In 1997, I began Treasure Island Oldies, the Home of Lost Treasures. I play the biggies, but extensively feature hard to find rare oldies. Listen live Sundays 6 to 10 p.m. Pacific and also the show archives at www.TreasureIslandOldies.com
Let the memories flow!

Monday, July 27, 2009

Our Cover Tunes Special was a big success. My special thanks go out to Tom Locke for all his excellent research and the time he took to join me in the studio for the entire four hours. And also I'd like to thank you for the many emails I have already received. You obviously enjoyed the Cover Tunes Special as much as we enjoyed presenting it to you. And we've got another special all set for you next week, our Annual Instrumental Gems - Wordless Wonders Special. For many listeners, this is their favourite special of the year. So I am very much looking forward to playing the lost art of instrumental music. I'd also like to thank you for the requests that have arrived. I promise I will do my very best to play every one of your requests. If there is something special you'd like to hear, it's not too late to get your requests sent to me. And there's two ways to get in touch. Pick up the phone and call our 24/7 Listener Request Line at 206-203-4678 and record your message. We'll play back your phone call and the song you requested. You can also email your requests. Just click the Requests button on any page of the website.

Don't forget that we also have two additional specials coming up as well. Our Back To School Special will be on August 31st and then on September 6th we have a Motown Special that will include the excellent documentary The Motown Story. I know you won't want to miss these specials.

It was great to have the Chat Room so busy once again this week and the comments that went back and forth during the Cover Tunes Special were great. Be sure to stop by the Chat Room some Sunday night during the live show. You'll have a fun time. Click Chat on the Menu for full instructions on how to log into the Chat Room and join the Nuts in the Hut.

The Treasure Island Oldies Blog this week continues with our Cover Tunes theme with The Platters and their incredible cover version of the Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra hit song, Smoke Gets In Your Eyes. It's our Song of the Week. Enjoy!

We've got two great Instrumental Gems for your votes this week on Voice Your Choice: A Swingin' Safari and Sail Along, Silv'ry Moon by Billy Vaughn. Which of these two songs would you like me to play on our Instrumental Gems - Wordless Wonders Special? Cast your vote by clicking the Choice Your Choice button on any page of the website then make your selection. We'll play the winner in Hour 3 of next week's show.

It would be my pleasure to wish you Happy Birthday as your special day approaches. Just send your name and birthday date to michael@treasureislandoldies.com and I'll send you my best regards and also play our official birthday song by The Beatles, Birthday.

Your picture would look great hanging in the Treasure Island Oldies Listener Gallery. Join the other Islanders who have already sent their photo to me. Just choose a photo and send it along with your name, city and country to michael@treasureislandoldies.com

Billy Vaughn was born Richard Vaughn on April 12, 1919 in Glasgow, Kentucky. Sadly he died of cancer at age 72 on September 26, 1991. He had many achievements during his career including being Music Director for Dot Records; arranged and conducted the orchestra for Pat Boone, Gale Storm, The Fontaine Sisters, and many other Dot recording artists. He was so successful that he has been recognized for having more pop hits than any other orchestra leader during the rock era.

He appeared on the Billboard chart a total of twenty-eight times between 1955 and 1966, and scored four Topp Ten hits and two Gold Records.

This week on Treasure Island Oldies, it's our annual Instrumental Gems - Wordless Wonders Special and we are pleased to present Billy Vaughn on Voice Your Choice with two of his big hits: A Swingin`Safari and Sail Along Silv'ry Moon. A couple of trivia bits for you as well: Sail Along Silv'ry Moon was originally a hit for Bing Crosby in 1937; and A Swingin' Safari was written by the German band leader, Bert Kaempfert, who first signed The Beatles, and this song was also the theme song for the original TV game show Match Game.

Which song do you prefer: A Swingin' Safary or Sail Along Silv'ry Moon? Cast your vote by clicking on to the Voice Your Choice page and making your selection. We'll play the winner in Hour 3 of next week's show.

You heard The Platters on our Cover Tunes Special and I bet you were surprised to learn that most of their hits were, in fact, cover versions of songs that had been hits in the 1930s and 1940s. The song we're bringing to you this week was originally a hit for Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra. However, The Platters made it all their own.

I know you will enjoy the amazing talent of lead singer Tony Williams and all of The Platters with Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, our Song of the Week.

Monday, July 20, 2009

I would like to begin this week's update by extending my sincere condolences to Tom Locke on the loss of his father, Bert Locke, after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Tom has been part of this show since around 1999 when you were first introduced to the Sorrells Pickard Pick of the Week, sponsored by Sorrells Pickard Gourmet Peanut Butter. As Sorrells used to say at the end of the ad, 'It's mighty good". Tom orchestrated that weekly feature and also researched and wrote the piece every week. It wasn't too long after Sorrells died that the peanut butter company closed shop. It was then that Tom and I decided to re-purpose this entertaining and interesting feature and called it the Moment In Time. And ever since Tom continues to research and write the feature every week. He has also been busy doing some great research and investigation into cover songs and their origins. Next Sunday you'll hear some songs that you may have thought were the original and first version by the artist or group that recorded it. It is going to be great fun to play samples of some very old songs and then the cover version. It all takes place next Sunday, July 26th on the Cover Tunes Special. Tom will be joining me in the studio for the entire show.

The following week is our annual Instrumental Gems - Wordless Wonders Special on August 2nd. If there is a favourite instrumental you'd like to hear, send in your request via email by clicking the Requests button on any page of the website. It would also be great to hear from you on the phone. Call in your request to the Treasure Island Oldies 24/7 Listener Request Line at 206-203-4678. Record your message and I'll play it along with your request on the show. We've also got two additional specials for you to enjoy after the Instrumental Gems - Wordless Wonders on August 2nd. August 31st is our Back To School Special followed the next week September 6th with a brand new Motown Special. This will include the highly regarded documentary, The Motown Story.

The Chat Room was really packed again this week and it was great fun to welcome back to the Chat Room, Jax from Winnipeg, Manitoba. He is a long time listener to the show, in fact among the very first to listen back in 1997. Everyone was so glad to see him and the more recent Nuts in the Hut were very pleased to meet him too. If you get a chance, drop by some Sunday night during the live shot. Click Chat on the Menu on any page of the website and then follow the log-in instructions.

The Treasure Island Oldies Blog this week presents The Kinks in a rare clip of them performing All Day And All Of The Night, a real classic. Enjoy!

Voice Your Choice this week spotlight Sir Elton John with two of his big and well loved hit songs: Crocodile Rock and Daniel. Cast your vote by clicking the Voice Your Choice button on any page of the website and then make your selection. We'll play the winner in the third hour of next week's show.

I sure hope you are enjoying your summer and are also enjoying the Summertime Music, great summer songs sprinkled throughout the show. They sure bring back great memories of wonderful summers in my youth and teenage years. If there's a particular summer song you'd like to hear, please let me know. In the meantime, enjoy the heat and sunshine.

Elton John was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on March 25, 1947 in Pinner, Middlesex, England and has become one of the most popular singers, songwriters, musicians, performers and entertainers of the 20th Century. Before having a solo career, he was a member of the British group Bluesology, which included Elton Dean and Long John Baldry. It was from those two fellows that he took the name Elton John. In 1967, he teamed up with lyricist Bernie Taupin and then embarked on the career of Elton John.

Between 1970 and 2000 he racked up an impressive 70 appearances on the Billboard charts. Now that is quite a feat! Sir Elton John has also had twenty-eight Number One records, thirteen Gold Records and six Platinum Records; and these are just the singles!

It was a difficult decision, but I had to select just two of his songs for Voice Your Choice this week on Treasure Island Oldies. Now you have to vote for the song you'd prefer to hear me play as Voice Your Choice presents Elton John and Crocodile Rock and Daniel. Click the Voice Your Choice page and cast your vote. We'll play the winning song in the third hour of next week's show.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Gordon Waller (pictured right), one half of the British pop duo Peter And Gordon has died.

Here is the full story.

Gordon Waller, one-half of the duo of Peter and Gordon, suffered a massive fatal heart attack Thursday night (July 16) at his Connecticut home and died early the next morning at the age of 64. Born Gordon Trueman Riviere Waller in Braemar, Scotland, Gordon met Peter at London's Westminister boarding school as a teen and the two would climb over the school's spiked wall to play at local clubs surreptitiously. After graduation, the two continued their musical careers, helped enormously by Peter's sister's boyfriend-- Paul McCartney-- who wrote three of their hits-- 1964's #1 "A World Without Love", "I Don't Want To See You Again" (#16-1964) and "Woman" (#14-1966). In fact, six of their first eight American hits were top 20 records, including "Nobody I Know" (12-1964), the Del Shannon-penned "I Go To Pieces" (#9-1965) and the Buddy Holly composition "True Love Ways" (#14-1965). All told, the duo scored 14 American chart records, even after Jane Asher broke off her engagement to Paul. The duo broke up in 1968 as touring (and hits) became difficult. Peter became a talent scout for Apple Records and later produced Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor. Gordon's attempt at a solo career fizzled, but he did appear as Pharaoh in "Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" in London's West End and scored the James Dean biographical film, "Race With Destiny." The two reunited in 2005 and played, among other dates, the Buddy Holly memorial at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa this past February. Said Peter: "Gordon played such a significant role in my life that losing him is hard to comprehend-- let alone to tolerate. He was my best friend at school almost half a century ago. He was not only my musical partner but played a key role in my conversion from only a snooty jazz fan to a true rock and roll believer as well. Without Gordon I would never have begun my career in the music business in the first place. Gordon remains one of my very favourite singers of all time and I am still so proud of the work that we did together. I am just a harmony guy and Gordon was the heart and soul of our duo."

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Please note that we have made a few changes to our programming schedule. We have added a new special on July 26, Cover Tunes, with in-studio guest, Tom Locke. Tom is a long time friend who researches and writes the weekly feature, Moment In Time. Our annual Instrumental Gems - Wordless Wonders Special returns Sunday, August 2nd.Our Labour Day Weekend “Back To School” Special will now take place on August 30 instead of September 6th. On September 6 we will have a brand new Motown Special, incorporating the fantastic documentary, The Motown Story. This will not be a live show as I will be away on vacation for that week.

July 12 to 18, 2009Thanks for another fun show again this week. The Chat Room was hopping with the regular Nuts in the Hut, plus new friends including Shirley from Cincinnati, Ohio, Paul in Ellicott City, Maryland, and Carl from Quebec City, Quebec. It's great to have them join us. And we'd love to welcome you as well. Click Chat on the Menu to find out how to log into the Chat Room. We look forward to seeing you.

I heard from Alan in Seattle, Washington. He is madly trying to find out the title and artist for a song he remembers from the 1950s. The lyrics to the chorus are: "Leadfoot, leadfoot speed was all he craved, his right foot on the floorboard and his left foot in the grave". If you have any idea, please let me know so that I can pass on the info to Alan. Get in touch with me by email: michael@treasureislandoldies.com and thanks in advance for any help you can provide. It will mean a lot to him.

I always welcome your requests and there's two ways to get in touch with me. First click the Requests button on any page of the website to send your message. You can also call our 24/7 Listener Request Line at 206-203-4678 and record your voicemail message. I'll play back both your message and your song request on the show.

The Treasure Island Oldies Blog features The Fleetwoods in a live performance clip from American Bandstand and they are introduced by Dick Clark. Enjoy!

Voice Your Choice spotlights Connie Francis with two of her many hit songs: Breakin' In A Brand New Heart and Don't Break The Heart That Loves You. Cast your vote by clicking the Voice Your Choice button on any page of the website and make your selection. We'll play the winning song in Hour 3 of next week's show.

I still invite you to submit your photo for the Listener Gallery. There are already a lot of listeners appearing and it would be great to have your participation too. Send your photo, name, city and country to michael@treasureislandoldies.com and our webmaster, Eddy Fisher, will post your picture very soon.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Connie Francis was the Number One female vocalist from the late 1950s to the mid-1960s. She was born Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero on December 12, 1938 in Newark, New Jersey. Not only did she have a ton of hit records, she also appeared in the motion pictures Where The Boys Are, Follow The Boys, Looking For Love, and When The Boys Meet The Girls.

Between 1957 and 1969, she appeared on the Billboard chart a total of 56 times! Quite the feat for sure.

This week on Treasure Island Oldies, Voice Your Choice spotlights Connie Francis with two of her many hits: Breaking In A Brand New Heart and Don't Break The Heart That Loves You.

The Fleetwoods, Gary Troxel, Gretchen Christopher and Barbara Ellis, came from Olympia, Washington and took the charts by storm with their 1959 debut single. Here they are in a live performance from American Bandstand with Dick Clark introducing them and their big new hit song, Come Softly To Me. It's our Song of the Week.

Monday, July 06, 2009

I have to thank you very much for the immediate comments and feedback I have already received about this week's Music of Canada Special. I was absolutely blown away by how may non-Canadian listeners were completely familiar with some of the artists whose records did not hit the Billboard chart. Linda in LaHabra, California floored me when she raved about hearing Brainwashed by David Clayton Thomas and the Bossmen. And there were many other examples. Another listener, Rich in Hillside, Illinois suggested that there was so much great music made in Canada that he'd love to hear the Music of Canada Special every July, but also several other times in the year. Thanks for the suggestion, Rich. It was also fun to run down some of the everyday inventions that we all take for granted that were invented in Canada. Of course, we will continue with our weekly Made In Canada feature in the first hour of the show.

It was great the way the Nuts in the Hut welcomed both Shirley from Cincinnati, Ohio and Paul (Music000) from Ellicott City, Maryland to the Chat Room. It was great to get his input on the songs being played on the show. The Chat Room regulars were impressed with his music knowledge. Next Sunday you should consider stopping by the Chat Room for a visit. Click Chat on the Menu for complete directions on how to log into the Chat Room.

It was wonderful to play some great Terry Black records for you as well. Sadly, he lost his life at 62 from Multiple Sclerosis. He was the first artist to be signed to Lou Adler's then brand new label, Dunhill Records, which later became home to the Mamas and Papas, Steppenwolf, Three Dog Night and others in later years. He had a hit single in Canada and the United States called Unless You Care plus other solo hits in Canada. He later became a member of Dr. Music and married one of the group's members, Laurel Ward. Together they recorded and scored a hit with Goin' Down (On The Road to L.A.). I was a friend and fan of Terry Black. He'll be missed.

We've got another special coming up for you before the end of July. It will be a Cover Tune Special. Tom Locke, who researches and writes the Moment In Time weekly feature on the show, are hard at work planning this special. Tom will join me in the studio for this special. Looking forward to it. I will let you know the exact date next week. Be sure to listen to one of the most popular annual specials, the Instrumental gems - Wordless Wonders Special live Sunday, August 2nd. And don't wait to get your requests in that show. There tends to be a lot of songs listeners want to hear. Click the Requests button on any page of the website and drop me a note. Or give me a call on the Treasure Island Oldies Listeners Request Line. Call us 24/7 at 206-203-4678 and record your voicemail request message. I'll play it back on the show, along with your song.

In celebration of our Music of Canada Special, this week at the Treasure Island Oldies Blog we present a rare clip of Mashmakhan performing As The Years Go By. Taken from the movie documentary Festival Express, it starts out as a jam for about the first minute and a half then goes right into the song. I had never seen it before although I was aware of the music festival that went from city to city on a train. I am sure you'll enjoy our Song of the Week.

Next week on Voice Your Choice we spotlight Bob Dylan with two of his classic songs: I Want You and Just Like A Woman. Cast your vote for the song you'd like me to play. Just click the Voice Your Choice button on any page of the website and make your selection. We'll play the winner in Hour 3 of next week's show.

Have a great week and I hope you are enjoying summer, or winter if you're Down Under.

Bob Dylan was born Robert Zimmerman on May 24, 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota, and raised in Hibbing, Minnesota. He became one of the most influential American songwriters and an innovator of the folk-rock style of music. He got his start playing in coffee houses in Greenwich Village and got signed to Columbia Records in October 1961.

This highly lauded singer/songwriter was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 and won a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammy's in 1991.

As a recording artist he has appeared twenty-three times between 1965 beginning with Subterranean Homesick Blues, and with Sweetheart Like You in 1983. Considered by many as his signature song, Like A Rolling Stone featured Al Kooper on organ, who later went onto form Blood, Sweat & Tears.

This week on Treasure Island Oldies, Voice Your Choice spotlights Bob Dylan with I Want You and Just like A Woman. Which song would you like to hear? Cast your vote by making your selection on the Voice Your Choice page. We'll play the song with the greatest percentage of votes in Hour 3 of next week's show.

In celebration of our annual Music of Canada Special on Treasure Island Oldies, here is a rare clip of Mashmakhan, taken from the music documentary movie Festival Express. Festival Express was unique among rock festivals - rather than being held in one location, it was staged in three - Toronto, Winnipeg and Calgary (Vancouver was to have been the fourth city, but was canceled due to "anti-hippie" edicts from Vancouver mayor Tom Campbell). The idea was that rather than flying to each city, the musicians would travel by chartered Canadian National Railways train, fostering an atmosphere of musical creativity and closeness between the performers. The trips between cities were a mix of jam sessions and partying, fueled by excess alcohol. Among the memorable scenes depicted in the film was a drunken and acid-fueled jam with The Band's Rick Danko, the Dead's Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir, and Janis Joplin.

Mashmakhan perform As The Years Go By, which started with a jam that lasts over a minute and a half. But the wait is worth it. Enjoy this rare clip.

Sunday, July 05, 2009

Music entrepreneur Allen Klein, blamed by many for contributing to the demise of The Beatles, has died in New York at 77 after suffering from Alzheimer's.

In a career spanning five decades, Klein earned a reputation as a ruthless operator, extracting lucrative deals from labels for his clients.

In the mid-1960s, he managed The Rolling Stones for five years.

Later managing The Beatles, he tried and failed to secure control of copyrights on their behalf.

Though reviled by many, others admired his ability to negotiate with record labels.

"Don't talk to me about ethics," he once told Playboy magazine. "Every man makes his own. It's like a war."

He said John Lennon had hired him to protect his interest in The Beatles, because he wanted what he called "a real shark - someone to keep the other sharks away".

Charity gig

Klein helped the Stones negotiate a new contract with their label but the relationship soured after he bought the rights to the band's 1960s songs and recordings - classics like (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction and Jumpin' Jack Flash - from a former manager.

Keith Richards later described Klein's time with the group as "the price of an education".

The Beatles hired Klein in 1969 over the objections of Paul McCartney, who preferred his father-in-law, Lee Eastman.

At the time, a New York Times profile referred to him as "the toughest wheeler-dealer in the pop jungle".

Klein himself once sent out a holiday card parodying the 23rd Psalm:

"Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, because I'm the biggest bastard in the valley."

His copyright battle for the Beatles came as tensions among the four reached breaking-point.

Eventually he did score a rich recording deal for The Beatles but by then John, Paul, George and Ringo were not even on speaking terms, and the band dissolved in 1970.

One year later, however, George Harrison hired Klein to put on the all-star Concert for Bangladesh at Madison Square Garden in New York - the forerunner of the mammoth charity gigs of the 1980s and 1990s.

Accountant at heart

"I never wanted to be a manager," Klein told The Star-Ledger of Newark in 2002. "It was going over the books that I loved. And I was good at it."

Allen Klein was born in Newark, New Jersey, on 18 December 1931 and spent several years in an orphanage after his mother's death during his infancy.

Later raised by a grandmother and an aunt, he served in the US Army before joining a Manhattan accounting firm, according to his company.

He started his own firm, which later became ABKCO, in the late 1950s.

His other clients in the music business including Sam Cooke, Bobby Darin and Herman's Hermits.

According to the Associated Press, he was reputed to be the basis for the slick manager Ron Decline played by Jon Belushi in the 1978 film The Rutles, as well as the inspiration for John Lennon's 1974 song Steel and Glass.

Thursday, July 02, 2009

Fayette Pinkney, an original member of the Three Degrees who lent her strong, soulful voice to the 1970s hits “When Will I See You Again?” and “T.S.O.P. (The Sound of Philadelphia),” the theme song of the television show “Soul Train,” died Saturday in Lansdale, Pa. She was 61.

The death was confirmed by Abington Health Lansdale Hospital. The cause was acute respiratory failure, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

The Three Degrees formed in the early 1960s when Ms. Pinkney, who was still going to Overbrook High School in Philadelphia, joined with Shirley Porter and Linda Turner under the management of Richard Barrett, the record producer behind the Chantels and Little Anthony and the Imperials.

For more than a decade, Ms. Pinkney was the one constant in a group whose members came and went. She sang on the group’s first single, “Gee Baby (I’m Sorry),” on its 1970 hit “Maybe” and on the hits for Philadelphia International Records in the 1970s that helped the define the Philadelphia sound.

In a statement, Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, the label’s founders, called the Three Degrees “our Philly sound version of Motown’s Supremes, but bigger and stronger and melodic.”

The group’s first two singles for Philadelphia International, “Dirty Ol’ Man” and “I Didn’t Know,” were modest successes, but “T.S.O.P.,” a mostly instrumental piece featuring the studio band MFSB, reached No. 1 on both the R&B and pop charts in 1974. “When Will I See You Again?,” which sold more than two million records, reached No. 2 on the pop charts that year.

Their close-harmony singing made the Three Degrees a popular nightclub act. The group performed with Engelbert Humperdinck at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas; a performance at the Copacabana in Manhattan ended up in the 1971 film “The French Connection.”

After leaving the Three Degrees and recording a solo album, “One Degree,” in 1979, Ms. Pinkney studied psychology at Temple University and earned a master’s in human services at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania in 1985. She began working as an administrative assistant for the Medical College of Pennsylvania and rose to become an education coordinator there. She later counseled incoming patients at United Behavioral Health in Philadelphia.

She is survived by a brother, Nathaniel.

Ms. Pinkney continued to sing. “I travel with a unique group called the Intermezzo Choir Ministry,” she told the Web site thethreedegrees.com. “Yes, I do still love people and I love to make them smile.”

Loaded Web

About Me

I love good music - period, but I have a passion for the music of
the '50, '60s and '70s. I started Treasure Island Oldies for two
reasons: I had to get back on the air; I missed radio so much. I also
got tired of hearing "good times and 'eight' oldies", and knew with all
my previous radio programming experience, I could offer a weekly oldies
show that would feature familiar songs but also a lot of "instant
memories", songs you have not heard since they were first played on the
radio for a short time, then disappeared, seemingly forever. I knew
having someone hear a song they have not heard for literally 30 or 40
years, would touch a nerve. Perhaps the memory of a special occasion,
or maybe just another day, that particular song really caught their ear
back then. And every time I play one of those what I call Lost
Treasures, I get immediate individual feedback from the chat room,
email and my blogs. So I play a lot of music heard hardly anywhere
else. Join me live Sundays 6 to 10 p.m. Pacific, and also, the weekly
show archives at www.TreasureIslandOldies.com Let the memories flow!